The characters are members of the Flaming Sword; a new legion of the Iron Empire. More an 'Empire' in name then in reality, the Iron Empire struggles to live up to the legacy of Nerath, leveraging blade and spell for all it's worth against a tide of darkness. The Empire is overextended, and fighting a desperate war on all fronts against the rising darkness, but failure here means the end of civilization... or at least, the end of the civilization of the free races. Even within the Empire, cults of Asmodeus and Bane spring up, promising safety and prosperity in exchange for fealty. To accept such is to live in slavery and darkness forever. Only your efforts can stop this.Torchlight dimply illuminated the road as the soldiers marched on through the night. They were three days out of Bladereach now, and had been keeping a hard pace throughout. They didn't have long to spare... even at this pace, it'd still be another four days before they arrived at Blackroot, and only just ahead of the Goblin army at that. Such desperate expeditions were growing more common then anyone cared to admit, but the soldiers of the Empire could not admit defeat. Few enough settlements had managed to hold on in these dark times, and each was a vital element of the whole. The farms of Blackroot were the food supply of half a dozen other small towns in the area; if Blackroot fell, then no food would reach the mines of Grayfell... which would mean that no ore would reach the forges of Bladereach, and no weapons would reach the hands of the new recruits.
Even so, success was expected. Although untested yet in battle, these troops are soldiers of Bladereach... no petty rabble of mercenaries or mere village levy, they are the elites of the Empire, trained by the best warriors known and supported by wielders of arcane power. Such a force as this would have to prevail, whatever the odds... for their victory is the life of the empire, and their failure it's doom. They are the Flaming Sword, the fifth and newest legion of the Iron Empire. Their legacy will mark the Empire's future.